


Before the Overworld

by Vulpixgirl214782



Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game)
Genre: Ace character, Ace/Aro Mention, All of This is Really Low Key Tho, But you can clearly tell, Dark Elf, Drow, Dvati (Homebrew species), Gay, Gay Character, Gay Mention, I didn't like it, I know how Dark Elves are supposed to be viewed, Identical Twins, LGBT, LGBT characters, Original Character(s), Original D&D World, Original Dark Elf Lore, Telepathic Bond, Twins, Underdark, ace/aro, aro character, so I made my own
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-11
Updated: 2017-12-11
Packaged: 2019-02-13 14:13:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12985770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vulpixgirl214782/pseuds/Vulpixgirl214782
Summary: Nobody knows who we truly are, and they blame us for hating them. Well, who would you point your anger towards if you were trapped underground?The back story of my very first D&D character. I don't write as much as I should, and I would love some feed back.





	Before the Overworld

We are not evil. Not in the sense that everyone makes us out to be. We love our goddess, we would do anything for her. But that does not make us evil. Any less than you doing everything for your god. No matter what we do though, no one has ever trusted us. So we were banished to the Underdark. Now nobody knows who we truly are, and they blame us for hating them. Well, who would you point your anger towards if you were trapped underground?

We are not a cruel people. We know and love each other, take care of each other. We have a whole species as a family outside of our own. And our blood families? There is nothing that we would not do for them. Family is precious, a child is rare. They are loved. We are not cruel.

It is rare for us to have a child in a family. We can live for over an eon. It takes a lot to raise a child. But the child is revered, everyone in the village having a hand in raising them and making them into their own person. It is rare to see a child in the Underdark, but even rarer to see two that belong to the same family.

My family was the highest of nobles. I am sure we still are, but it has been many years since I have been home. But my family is so high on the food chain, there was the royal family, and then there was us. My mother and father had been together for centuries and decided that our home was too big for just two people. They wanted a child, someone to love and raise and share with the world. When they learned they were pregnant, the streets were filled with celebrations that lasted for days. When they learned they were having twins, the celebrations lasted weeks.

My sister and I were born on the 3rd day of the new year. The city did not settle for months after we were born. Gifts and well wishers flooded our halls, everyone happy for the two bundles of joy that were blessed onto them. People from towns and villages all over the Underdark came to see us and our parents. Children are so important to our people that even the king and queen came to our home, elated with the new additions to the family.

From the moment we were born, we never left each other's side, Mirima and Faelwen. If one of us was taken away, the other would cry until they were taken with them. We could not bare to be apart, not even for one second. It was together or not at all. Identical twins who could not bare to be apart. Sounds a little cliche, but it is the truth.

We were so identical, even, that no one knew which one was which. They called us whoever they thought we were. We are not even sure who the original Mirima and Faelwen are. Around the time we were 12, we decided what we wanted to be called, even if it was only between us. To this day I know I would still respond to Faelwen.

It was a good thing our parents had twins, for while we had a whole village worth of family, we only had each other for friends. As I had mentioned, children are rare among us, so there was not anyone our age in the village. I can not imagine what a dreary childhood I would have had if I did not have my sister. Without her, I simply wouldn’t be me. And I know she feels the same.

You know how people say it is almost as if twins can read each other's minds? For the most part, I think people are just exaggerating. But not with us. For as long as I can remember, I could always feel the brush of her mind against my own. It was a comfort. We always knew how to communicate thoughts and concepts to each other, and as we grew we learned to speak in the others mind as well. If we tried hard enough, we could even see through the other’s eyes. Now all of this is second nature to us. We might exist in different bodies, but on another plane of existence, we are one.

One day, while we were walking around our village, we came across something strange. We were young, we had never ventured away from the village, but being curious came with being young. And away from the village was a patch of, believe it or not, grass. Above, way up high in the arching rock ceiling, was a hole that the smallest ray of sunlight shone through. We have seen a lot of things in our life: Caves that have glowing crystals, the finest jewelry, the most elaborate mansions in the Underdark. But nothing we have ever seen was more beautiful then than patch of grass and that glimpse of sunlight.

Every single day we would go back to that little piece of grass, our little oasis in that dark world. It wasn’t unusual for us to sit there all day, reading and studying. We’d bring food to have a picnic, just us and the sun.

When I say we went there everyday, I truly am not exaggerating. For years, decades, we went to that spot. We cared for it, though it was really just Faelwen. She could make anything grow down there. It was like she was the plants’ will to live. The patch flourished under her care. By the time we were 30, the patch was more than just a patch. It was a field of beautiful, rich green.

A few years after we turned 30, and mind you, elves do not claim adulthood until they are at least 100, so we were still children. In our early 30s, more than just grass started to grow. I do not know how she did it, but Faelwen managed to help wild flowers and shamrocks grow. Little bumble bees would fly down and join us by the flowers. But that is not all that grew.

One day, I found a four-leaf clover. It was maybe half the size of my hand, and it was directly in the middle of the field, with the stream of sunlight halo-ing it like the gods wanted us to find it. I showed it to Faelwen and we made each other a promise. One day, some day, we will see the sun in all it’s glory.

I think it was always very clear to us that I could not care less about boys. They have always been gross and unmannered to me. There was no point to them other the procreation. I still often see them that way, all though now I know they can be very dear friends if I choose to let them in. But as a family of high nobility, we had many balls and galas and suitors from all over would come to try and win the hand if my sister or myself. Faelwen found them charming and loved to dance with them, but never went any further than that. I, on the other hand, danced with all the ladies that they ignored in their perusal for us. I think they agreed that a lady was much better than any gentlemen.

With all the marriage offers and how well Faelwen did with suitors, it is surprising that she never accepted any one. She never even gave herself to someone, even for just a night. I asked her about this once, for even I had laid with another before, and she said that it was never as fun once they left the ballroom. The men became less charming and more aggressive when outside the prying eyes of the public. I really could not agree more. No man could handle the two of us anyway, because it was still both of us, or none at all.

While we are identical twins, we have always been different in many ways. From a young age it was obvious that my sister had magic in her blood. And not just the basic light conjuring that all dark elves can do. No, she can breath life into even the most far gone plants. It is why are little patch of grass thrived while she was around. So of course she was trained by the best druid in the Underdark. There were not many of them, but what little we did have were powerful and strong.

I was quite the opposite. I do not quite have a black thumb, as I could care for simple life, but I was never able to work wonders like Faelwen. I was fair with a sword, so they trained me in that. It was not completely unusual for a lady to wield a blade. I trained and I trained until I became unbeatable. There was not a drow who could stand before me without cowering in fear. After the sword, I trained with bows and daggers and everything else. I could kill anyone with a needle if I had to.

My degree of curiosity and love of learning made me unsatisfied until I learned everything. And when I learned everything, I still was not satisfied. I could do wonders with a blade, miracles with a bow, but I still wanted more.

I read every book in our library, and mind you this was a big library. I had a lot of time on my hands. When I finished our library, the king and queen invited me into theirs. It was more than three times the size of ours. The stuff they had went beyond just Elvish and Common, and my never ending thirst for knowledge would not let that hold me back. So in order to read them, I learned new languages. I learned five languages, and I would know more if I had stayed. I did not get through their entire library, but I was pretty close.

When I was not reading, I was learning new skills. I can sew and forge, knit and crochet, make the finest jewelery. I can cook and bake, and know how to get any kind of stain out of anything. They taught my sister and me how to play a single instrument, but I was not satisfied with just one. I learned all the instruments my family owned, and then all the ones the royal family owned. What is that saying called? Jack of all trades, master of none? That describes me quite well. But I learned all this at a young age. It was all so easy. I needed a challenge.

To this day, I do not think any one but my mentor knows of my thievery skills. I read of it in a book and new I simply had to do it. 

My master, whom I will not name for his sake, taught me everything I know about the thieves trade. I was always nimble and quick, but he taught me to hone it. To move without making a sound, to become one with the shadows. To trick people’s eyes, make them believe what is not there. I could steal another’s identity and make them believe that what I did as them, they did themselves. He taught me the language of thieves, allowing me to communicate with others like me. He was the greatest teacher I ever had.

I tried my best to teach my sister everything I knew. I wanted to share everything with her. Through our shared consciousness, I would show her everything I knew, and she would do the same. It did not always work well, but having two minds to share a wealth of knowledge was most definitely better than one. She was good at some things, like moving silently and blending in, as I was well versed in the creation of potions and minor spells, but she could not bring herself to trick people, and I had not the magic to perform her wonders. I guess that is another way we differ. I found great joy and satisfaction when I picked a pocket unbeknownst to the owner, but she never saw the point, and the life she can breath into anything was a mastery that was beyond my grasp.

The day we turned 100, the day we claimed adulthood, was the day everything changed.

It was a wondrous day, with a huge party, a grand feast, and gifts from everyone we have ever known, and even from those we have never once seen before. I can remember it like it had just happened last night. But then again, that is how I remember everything.

At one point during the night, we managed to steal away to our meadow. It was spectacular now, an attraction for all to see, but only for us to use. I still do not know how she managed it, but flowers I to this day do not know the names of were growing and thriving there. She never ceased to amaze me.

The village was quiet, every able bodied person being at our home for the party. When we got to the meadow, you could see the Moon in all her glory through to hole in the ceiling. And we just lay there, watching her until she was not visible to us anymore.

“Mirima,”

“Yes, Faelwen?”

“Do you truly believe we will see the sky one day?” Until that moment, I do not think I had ever heard my sister sound so small before.

I took her hand in mine and turned my head so I was looking at her profile. She looked lost, like she was drowning in herself. 

“Hey,” I squeezed her hand, nudging her conscience with my own until she looked at me. The perfect image of myself. It would be weird if I did not see her everyday of my life. To me, it was natural to have a duplicate. I never understood how anyone could live otherwise. “I promise you, I will get us up there. I swear on the beat of my heart you will see the sky.”

She gave me a warm smile before turning her gaze back to the little sliver of sky. I brushed my mind with hers and knew she did not fully believe me, no matter how hard she was trying.

It was on the way home, hours later, that everything happened. One second, we were walking side by side, some part of us always touching the other, and the next, she was gone.

My blood turned to ice when I could not feel her by me. I whipped around in time to see her being dragged away, a hand over her mouth and eyes the size of saucers. I ran, hiking up my dress skirt as best I could, not wanting to trip and fall.

Whoever had her turned down an alley, and for a panicked breath I could not see her. She was screaming in my head, and I had no thoughts but her and the fact that never once have I not had her in my sights.

I turned down the alley and found they were stuck at a dead end. I took my dagger out of the sheath on my thigh, because who would I be if I did not always have at least one on me. 

Breathing evenly, in a voice that held more confidence than I felt, I said, “Let. Her. Go.”

The assailant turned my way. They were wearing a complete mask, preventing me from seeing their face. They chuckled lowly, their voice obscured by something, a spell perhaps, so I could not identify them. “I’m afraid I can’t do that. Master needs a new toy, and this one is just too good to let go.”

_ Toy?!  _ My sister thought in panic. She made eye contact with me, flicked her gaze to my dagger, then back at me. I did not have to read her mind to know what she was thinking.

I raised my arm, ready to hit her capture square in the face, when he snapped and was there no more.

We searched the entirety of the Underdark, with me at the head of every search party, but she was not underground any more. My sister was gone, and I fell into a depression so deep, I feared it would be the death of me.

But I knew she was alive. I could feel her in my head. I still can, I can feel her touch of life. I just can never reach her.

25 years I spent underground without her. 25 years I was a ghost to my people. I could not bare going out without her. I could not bare having parties or celebrating life when she was not there. I could not even bring myself to go to our meadow if she was not with me. But one day, I finally did.

I walked the path that we always took. I could walk it in my sleep, it was so engraved into my heart. I took my time, not wanting to know what I will see when I get there. When I got there, I knew I was right not to come.

Without to guidance of my sister, the meadow deteriorated. The grass had long since turned brown, weeds replaced all the beautiful flowers, and there was not a bee or butterfly in sight.

My breath was stolen from me. I collapsed before the meadow, crumbling to my knees, a sob welling up in my throat. My sister was gone, and with it her beautiful meadow. 

I do not know how long I sat there crying. Time always seems to glitch when you cry, like the universe itself does not know what to do. After a while, though, my sobs quieted until all that was left was tear stains and my empty heart.

Something brushed my conscience, like a gentle hand lifting your chin for a kiss. I knew it was not Faelwen, her touch was different, but I knew she had influenced whoever it was to do it. A melodic voice sang in my head to look up. I obeyed, lifting my eyes to the center of the grass, where the sun haloed a single green plant.

I scrambled to my feet and rushed forward. I fell before the little plant, not believing my eyes at what I was seeing. It simply had to be a trick, an illusion my cruel mind was making. But when I reached a shaky hand toward it, softly caressing it’s petals, I felt the realness of it down to my soul.

It was a clover. Big, green, four-leafed and gorgeous. An exact match to the one we found years ago, the one that was pressed in my etiquette book, a promise I was never able to see through. I had found it’s twin, and I knew it was a sign.

_ Take it, Mirima,  _ The melody played in my ears,  _ Take it and find her. _

Taking the stem between my thumb and fore finger, I plucked it and brought it close to my chest. I cast a glance to the hole in the ceiling, the only sky I ever knew, and made my decision.

That night, I packed everything I needed into a small bag I wore on my back. I changed into the leather armor my master had gifted me a few years prior, saying that I would need it someday soon. The old man had a way of knowing things no one else did. I stole away to the armory, collecting all the daggers I had acquired over the years, with Razur being the one I kept in the sheath on my left thigh, the quickest one to grab. The short swords I owned were really just for show, meant for play fighting and ceremonies, so I would have to make due without them.

For the last time, I went to our shared room and stood there, remembering every little detail. I swept my eyes over the full expanse of it before landing them on my desk, where my etiquette book with my clovers lay open. It was a short walk over, where I closed it and slipped it into a side pocket in my backpack. I was fortunate that I had chosen one of our smaller books to keep them in all those years ago.

Without another look back, I opened the doors to our balcony and leapt down into the night.

_ Please my goddess,  _ I prayed silently,  _ Lead me to the sky. _

The same consciousness brushed against my own, showing me a map of the Underdark as I ran past our meadow.  _ I can guide you there, but no further,  _ her melody sang to me. That was fine. If I had to find her on my own, so be it.

Nothing would stop me.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading my long ass fic that was just me gushing about my baby girl. Please let me know how I did, it'll be greatly appreciated! I might even be motivated to finish writing the next part.


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